Did a little Q&A with the good folks over at our fellow SBN site Cal Golden Blogs. Here are the answers to some questions about the Golden Bears

1. How much has the Harper Kamp injury hurt this team?

In a number of subtle ways, quite a bit.  To begin, one less player simply means less depth, so players like Jamal Boykin and Omondi Amoke have to play more minutes, and players like Max Zhang and Markhuri Sanders-Frison are perhaps thrust into roles they aren't quite ready for.  According to the coaching staff, Kamp is the team's best interior defenders, so Cal's overall defense suffers without him (See Reeves Nelson's performance when Cal lost to UCLA for an example). And although he wasn't a big scorer, Harper was an excellent passer as a big man, a skill that Cal is lacking.  Were he healthy Cal would probably have significantly more success breaking down zone teams, a particularly valuable skill this year in the Pac-10.

2. What does Cal need to do to punch their ticket to the dance?

Win the Pac10 tourney to get the autobid?  The Pac10 is SO bad this year.  Blame it on graduation, blame it on regional insecurities, blame it on whatever you want.  It's undeniable.  But Cal is in a better situation than most.  They have a fairly good RPI:

http://kenpom.com/rate.php

According to  Ken Pomeroy, they have a RPI of 17.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/polls/rpi/index1

According to CBS, they have a RPI of 25.

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=4896687&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d4896687

And according to ESPN, Cal has a RPI of 26.

A BCS conference producing just one NCAA tournament team would be unprecedented since the field expanded to 64 teams, but the Pac-10 is going to put that to the test this year. Through Feb. 7, the conference rates No. 8 in the RPI -- behind the Atlantic 10 and Mountain West. Only one Pac-10 team -- the California Golden Bears (No. 26) -- ranks inside the RPI Top 50, and just four others within the RPI Top 100. One of them, USC, is ineligible for the NCAA tournament.

The picture just isn't pretty. Washington has an RPI of 56, with one nonconference Top 50 RPI win (over Texas A&M), and the Arizona Wildcats, they of a No. 67 RPI, have zero nonconference Top 50 RPI wins. Arizona State defeated San Diego State (RPI of 39), but owns an RPI of 77 itself.

So, Cal is the only team that could really make it as an at-large. However, Cal fans hope to avoid even considering that possibility. Win the Pac10.  Win the Pac10 Tourney.  Let's take the decision out of the hands of the Committee, because the Pac10 might not even get a second team besides the automatic qualifier.

3. The Huskies want to play a fast tempo on offense and a pressure defense. How will Cal deal with that style?

Cal also plays a relatively up tempo style, so I would expect a track meet.  Hypothetically, Cal should be a pretty good team against a pressure defense - the Bears are filled with veteran, senior ball handlers with Randle, Robertson and Christopher on the court.  But that didn't stop Cal from turning the ball over 22 times in Seattle - something that triggered the excellent Huskie transition offense. Perhaps some blame for Cal's performance can be placed on injuries and fatigue after a draining game in Pullman two nights before.  We'll see if the earlier game was the rule or the exception on Thursday.

4. If you had to draw up a defensive gameplan for Randle Christopher and Robertson, what would it look like?

You need to have quick, disciplined guards who can prevent open three pointers as well as dribble drives.  Cal is at their best when they get points inside, thus opening space for 3 point shooting.  If you can take away Jamal Boykin (Cal's only consistent scorer inside) you'll really put the pressure on Cal's guards to create on their own, which doesn't always happen.  And if you can frustrate Jerome Randle with pressure defense (something Isiah Thomas did a good job of earlier in the season) he can try to do to much and turn the ball over.

It's tough to shut Cal down entirely simply because they're a good shooting team, but if you can fluster them into a bad shooting night with pressure defense or a well-run, unusual zone Cal can have off-nights.

5. With a senior heavy team this year, what do the next couple seasons look like for Cal?

Next year will be rough.  The Bears are going to take a step or two back, and the rest of the conference will almost certainly get better (they pretty much have to, right?).  They've got a pretty good recruiting class coming in, which should hopefully help, but relying on freshmen, however good, is always a dicey proposition.  We do get Harper Kamp back, which will be nice, but even if some of our 'project' players keep improving (7' 3" Max Zhang, Bak Bak), we're losing too much scoring, ballhandling and experience to seriously stay in the top third, or even half, of the conference.

However, if next year is a development year, 2011-12 looks good, as the Bears will have just one senior next year, center Markhuri Sanders-Frison.  What will be another 5-man senior class that year (Kamp, Zhang, Jorge Gutierrez, Omondi Amoke and D.J. Seeley) could be pretty competitive, especially if they're complemented by some talented underclassmen.  There's no question Mike Montgomery can coach 'em up, and while Cal looks to take a step back next year, I'm confident that we'll be back in competition soon enough.

When the Huskies take on Cal, it will, in many ways, be the game that determines what direction the season goes. A win and the Huskies have not only claimed first in the conference (with the tiebreaker over Cal), but they'll have also broken the hex that has bothered them when they leve Hec Ed.

From there, the schedule sets up about as well as you could hope. The teams that figure to give us more trouble (USC and UCLA) have to come to Seattle, while the teams that shouldn't be as much trouble (Stanford, WSU, Oregon and OSU) are met on the road. I firmly believe that if this team can get that first road win out of the way against Cal then it has an excellent shot of running the table and solidifying itself as a legtimate at-large - regardless of what happens in the Pac-10 tournament.

If we should lose to Cal, things aren't so easy. The game against Stanford becomes a must win for two reasons: 1) You can't lose to a team like Stanford when you're trying to move onto the bubble, and 2) Getting swept on the road again would probably destroy the team's psyche. At this point you can rationalize the losses: Texas Tech we played well, took them into overtime and nearly won. Georgetown was simply a bad matchup or us with their size advantage. The Arizona trip we were missing Justin Holiday. UCLA needed the heroics of a walk-on to win at the last second, and the USC game was a result of the UCLA hangover. But these things only matter if the team can win on the road this weekend, otherwise all of those excuses turn into: this team can't win on the road. And the players will probably believe it. And we will have already kissed the NCAA's goodbye, and we may be saying hello CBI.

Running a bit tight on time, but no mystery here. The storylines:

• Justin Holiday has been lights out defensively lately, shutting down everybody he's matched up against (Landry Fields, Klay Thompson, Jamelle Horne) and tonight he gets Rihards Kuksiks, who torched the Huskies when these teams met in the desert. The smart money says that Ric has a bit of a dropoff in his production.
• Huskies at home. No more needs be said about this.
• Since conference play has started, UW is 5-0 when there are 74 or more possessions, and 0-5 when there are fewer than 74. Washington (with an adjusted tempo of 75 possessions per game) needs to dictate the tempo, force turnovers and run. The Sun Devils are not wont to run, and the previous meeting had just 65 possessions. Tempo will be key.
• Scott Suggs has the green light. Against Arizona he had 13 points on 3/9 shooting, and 3/7 from 3. On many of his shots, he caught and shot without hesitating, and sometimes early in the shot clock. It's something that he didn't seem as confident doing earlier in the year, but now that he has separated himself as the team's best shooter he's shooting whenever he has daylight. He may be the key to gashing ASU's zone.

Kenpom says 71-70 Arizona State, with the Huskies having a 49% chance of victory. Basically it's a dead heat. But again, at home, gotta give UW the edge. UW 78, ASU 73.

Every single year you end up looking back one more time at some of the kids you missed on. This year was exceptional for the kids we did get and the one's we were still in on come January. It just shows you the type of progress this program has made in a little over a year with Steve Sarkisian at the helm.

QB - Jake Heaps...This one hurts the most because he was the local kid who ended up being rated the top HS QB in the country this past season. In reality Jake was lost way before Steve Sarkisian ever set foot in Seattle. Heaps was not impressed with the program or the players on the current roster. Former coach Ty Willilingham wasn't on him early despite the fact that his son went to the same HS and that was another huge problem. In the end Sark rallied enough to pull Washington into the #2 position but the relationship he built with the staff at BYU over the past three years was impossible to overcome.

Washington did end up with a pretty good QB in Nick Montana. From a national standpoint that verbal garnered more of an impact because his dad after all is Joe Montana. Having that family hanging around Montlake for five years won't be a bad thing. Oh...by the way...Nick outperformed Jake when they played against each other earlier this year. May have been the first time that Husky fans cheered for a California HS program when they were playing a Washington HS program.

RB - Jordon James...He visited early in the season but never really considered Washington. It was down to UCLA and California and he ended up picking the Bruins. UW more than made up for it by signing Cooper and Callier.

WR- Tevin Carter...He committed to Washington early on and his ratings went through the roof this past spring. his parents were uncomfortable with him leaving the state so he changed his commitment to California. UW kept working him but his parents never budged.

WR - Keanon Lowe...He verbaled early when Oregon wasn't recruiting his as a WR. He had a very strong season at Jeshuit HS in Portland and when Oregon struck out on some national recruits they came calling in the last weeks of January. When he decided to visit Oregon the Huskies didn't wait for the outcome...they decided to look elsewhere.

OL - Nick Rowland...He is probably the best lineman in the West this year and UW had a very good shot at him because of a good relationship he had with Dan Cozzetto. UW would have loved to have had Rowland but they more than made up for it with a very strong OL class.

OL - Kody Innes...He visited early but we heard reports that Washinton didn't pursue him very hard which happens. Sometimes you just like other players better. Maybe rather than being a miss he was simply a pass at the time. He ends up being one of two OL recruits in the UCLA class.

DT- Kerifi Taula...This one went back and forth till almost signing day. We all know the story and Kerifi is now a Wildcat. He will be remembered for this one single quote after he verbaled to UW..."I am a man of my word".

DT- Ricky Heimuli...UW had the last visit but Ricky was a student of the depth charts. Chances are he wasn't going to start right away at Washington. He also may have ended up behind Sione Potoae who had a better showing in all star game workouts. He ended up picking Oregon who had more of the immediate need. If you are a Husky you wish he had stayed home at Utah.

DE - Kona Schwenke...This was a strange saga because he never ended up visiting because he simply ran out of time after BYU dropped him for the dalliance with Notre Dame. He wanted to sign after LOI day and visit UW but the Irish told him sign or we will take someone else. He did the smart thing and signed with ND.

LB - Josh Shirley... Everyone held their breath when it came time for him to select the hat on Wednesday. I was pretty surprised that he picked UCLA after word got out that Owa was going there. In the end the desire to stay home was too much to overcome. Neuheisel said he had been a secret commit for a few weeks.

LB - Hayes Pullard...Holt and Sark really wanted this kid but it became apparent early in January that it would come down to USC or UCLA. Like shirley he decided there was no place like home.

CB - Troy Hill...Washington was the early leader but once he saw the facilites at Oregon he became all Duck. Gregory Ducre is a great pick up but UW would have loved to have have had another top rated CB in the class.

CB - Josh Shaw...Josh had an unofficial to Washington if memory serves me correctly but once he became a national recruit he decided between Florida and Ohio State. He is going to be a Gator the next four years.

CB - Demetrius Wright...Another early visitor who was intrigued by Washington because of the coaching staff but decided to stay close to home at USC.

S - Derrick Malone...Washington was all over him but he picked Oregon. In the end that worked out fine because Sean Parker who they didn't have much of a shot at during that early period was a higher rated talent. It did have an impact though because it led to UW losing kicker Alejandro Maldonado to the Ducks.

K- Alejandro Maldonado... Sark wasn't happy at all when he flaked out and switched to Oregon last week. Sark reportedly wasn't shy about expressing his displeasure on the phone with Alejandro. The one saving grace here is Washington doesn't really need a kicker for two more years.

The first meeting against Arizona was... not good. The Wildcats shot 50% from the field, and got offensive rebounds on nearly half of their misses. Simply put: the Huskies got their tails kicked on defense. They also played without Justin Holiday, who would have been the man to draw the matchup on Jamelle Horne, who torched the Huskies for 22 points including 5 three pointers. Holiday is also one of the team's best defensive rebounders, and would have helped in that aspect. However, having Holiday alone wouldn't have been the difference of 17 points; the team as a whole wasn't motivated defensively and dug themselves a hole.

Fortunately for UW, this game is at home and Justin Holiday is eligible. This year at home the Dawgs have had no trouble coming out firing on both sides of the ball, and even if they start slowly (as they did against WSU) they don't let up in Hec Ed, and can pull away in the second half.

The biggest story over the past few games has been the play of Venoy Overton. The once reckless point guard who was always playing at top speed and giving away turnovers as often as he created them has taken huge strides since conference play has started. In fact, he is leading all Pac-10 players in assist:turnover ratio since conference play has started. His point and assist numbers the past 3 games: 18/0, 20/8, 6/7. He has learned that his quickness and speed of play is most effective when it's his top gear, and not his only gear. Watch him play tonight, and you'll likely see him do something he hasn't done in the past, and that's slow down.

To win against the Wildcats the Huskies need to play with the same energy they showed in the second half of the WSU game when they were shutting the Cougars down when WSU had the ball and turning the rebounds into transition opportunities. That tired WSU out and the game became a layup drill for UW.

They're all big from here on out, especially at home. Kenpom gives UW a 71% chance of victory (which I think is a little low - we're better than he says we are at home, an worse than he says we are on the road) and gives a score prediction of 80-73. I'm guessing it'll be higher scoring than that, something like 87-75.

The Pac 10 closed strongly on signing day collectively bringing in one of the better recruiting hauls in the country. Scout rates the Pac only behind the SEC in recruiting this season.

As usual USC lead the pack but they have some serious competition in Los Angeles now and into the future. Rick Neuheisel put together a monster class but the question is can he develop them over time and did he get enough balance?

Washington was impressive in its first full recruiting season under Steve Sarkisian. The Huskies are going to be force to be reckoned with going forward. Sark is following the DJ mantra...keep the best at home and steal a few from LA.

Oregon is thinking national. The Ducks made serious progress in that regard this season but they also lost some key recruits in state which was interesting to watch. The state of Oregon doesn't produce a lot of talent but when you lose three highly rated in state players to other Pac 10 schools it raises a bit of a flag.

1. Southern California

Lane Kiffin didn't have much time to assemble this class but his main job was holding on to what Pete Carrol left him and adding half a dozen or so players to finish it off. Kiffin finished with a bang signing OT Seantrel Henderson, LB Soma Vainuku, (JC) DE Marquis Jackson, TE Christian Thomas, WR Markeith Ambles, LB Hayes Pullard, OLB Nick Stanley, CB Nickell Robey, and C Giovanni Di Paulo during the final two days.

All toll the Trojans signed 20 players yesterday with an eye popping combined star rating of 4.15! As Pete Carroll once said the difference between the college and the pro's is you can sign as many first round draft choices as you want. Lane Kiffin continues that tradition.

USC will continue to put strong recruiting classes together under Kiffin but this was a year when UCLA and Washington let it be known that they were not going to let the Trojans grab every single player they want. Expect some epic recruiting battles in future years over LA talent. Also keep in mind that the Trojans are headed for probation this spring which will provide plenty of opportunity for competitors over the next couple of years.

(Late Wednesday — in a New York Times report — his father, Sean Henderson said Seantrel is not signing his letter of intent until USC appears before an NCAA infractions committee later this month apparently to get a feeling for where the investigation is headed. He has until April 1 to sign.)

2. UCLA

Rick Neuheisel put together one of his most higly rated classed as a college coach this season. Rick has always recruited well and closed strong but the exit of Pete Carroll helped in the building of this top ten class. The Bruins started the day in the mid 20's nationally and closed strong on signing day with CB Anthony Jefferson, LB Josh Shirley, S Dietrich Riley, DE Owamagbe Odidhizuwa, and MLB Jordan Zumwalt. All five of those players were headed in different directions last week so it is a testament to Neuheisel that he was able to steal them away from other schools at the last minute.

This class does have a serious weakness. If you are a Husky fan it is pretty easy to guess. The 24 man class lacks balance. Neuheisel only signed two offensive linemen. If you witnessed the struggle of the UCLA offense the last couple of years it all starts on the offensive line. The failure to address that in a year when you have 24 scholarships available is a major blunder.

Another problem spot on offense is at QB. The Bruins struck out at QB late when they lost Nottingham to Stanford. Rick had two big areas that needed to be addressed this season and they were not. That is going to hurt down the road. Lack of balance in recruiting takes years to correct. Just ask a Washington Husky fan.

3. Washington

This class may not have the overall star quality of UCLA and USC but it addresses almost every single need currently on the roster. As Nick Daschel of Buster Sports says this is a class that would make Don James proud. Washington brings in 30 athletes in a class that is the definition of balance.

The biggest need on a roster that has a lot of serious needs was on the offensive line. The Huskies signed seven offensive lineman who will be the cornerstone of this program over the next five years. Erik Kohler, Micah Hatchie and Colin Porter all received four stars from most of the recruiting services. Kohler was rated as the best OL in California by most of the services. You could see Porter and Kohler in the starting lineup as early as 2010.

This was the first time in almost a decade that Washington was in on some of the top athletes in the country going into signing day. S Sean Parker became the first Washington recruit to ever pick the school on a national TV show on signing day. Parker is a major get and will compete for a starting job starting next fall. The top safety in California was coveted by USC and Michigan.

4. Oregon

The Ducks pulled off a couple of surprises on signing day to help temper the losses of athletes to UCLA and Cal. Most thought DT Ricky Heimuli was headed to Utah or UCLA so when he picked Oregon it was a pleasant surpise for the Duck faithful. S Erik Dargan was another solid addition to the class. Most thought the four star athlete was headed to WSU.

Oregon was tenacious on the recruiting trail this season. They stole two players late from Washington to keep the fires stoked in the rivarly with no name. They also landed two of the top RB's in Texas in Lache Seastrunk and Deontae Williams. The Ducks have been  trying to go national for the last few years and while they didn't get every target they aimed for overall it was a commendable haul.

There are some holes in this class. Like UCLA they only landed two offensive lineman. That being said the two they did land are potential starters next year if there is the need. The Ducks only were able to land one DT and two DE's. Striking out on local talent like Owa and King hurts. the lack of linemen in the class is what swayed Heimuli to sign with Oregon. He craves immediate playing time since he plans to go on a mission. He will get that type of shot at Oregon.

5. Stanford

Jim Harbaugh put together another succesful class that was highlighted by stealing QB Brett Nottingham from UCLA during the final couple weeks of the recruiting season. The Cardinal recruits differently than the other Pac 10 schools because of high academic standards. Most of their class is usually put together before the holidays because of the application progress.

Losing MLB Jordan Zumwalt to UCLA was a major loss but as noted above stealing Nottingham was a more crushing blow for the Bruins. RB Rickey Seale was the only signing day surprise. The staff had been working on him for a long time but he waited to see where the chips were falling before signing with Stanford.

This class has decent balance but could have used a little more help in the interior of the defensive line. One thing that hurt the Cardinal this year was the loss of position coaches after the first of the year. Those losses made players such as Zumwalt start looking around. Harbaugh was able to preserve a good portion of the class but it had the potential to be better back in December before the vultures started circling.

6. California

The Bears went defensive this recruiting season and may have landed the best LB class in the country led by Cecil Whiteside, Dave Wilkerson, Chris Allen, and Nick Forbes. They also didn't forget the defensive line when signing such studs as Gabe King and Chris McCain.

This isn't a huge class for the Bears. They only signed 19 players so the lack of numbers held their ranking down a bit. Holes in the class are signing only two lightly regarded offensive lineman and striking out at DT. The Bears however are more LB oriented on defense so the lack of a true NT isn't probably that big of a deal.

Jeff Tedford is known in coaching circles as a QB guru but he didn't land one of the coveted gems this year. Austin Hinder is an athletic QB and was involved in the Elite 11 but he isn't the type of drop back passer that Tedford usually recruits. Maybe he is tired of having statues in the backfield. Hinder is kind of a project so it will be interesting to see how he develops under Tedford.

7. Washington State

Paul Wulff calls this the best class at WSU in the last 25 years so let the snickering begin. It is a step in the right direction for a coach on the hot seat. Like all WSU coaches he has to take some chances here and there so it will tough to really figure out the impact this class will have until we see how many of these kids actually qualify. Mike Price took plenty of chances and planted kids in JC programs. A couple of years later he would reap the benefits. Wulff doesn't have the luxury of having that much time.

OLB CJ Mizel was signing day surprise. The four star player fell to WSU after it became known that he was not going to qualify at Florida State or Miami. The trick now is getting him the help to get in at good old Wazzu. Aaron Dunn was the top rated TE in the state and the Coug's locked him up early. Jake Rodgers is another talented TE I like that WSU was able to sign. TE Asante Cleveland of Sacramento was a late defection to Miami.

QB Connor Holiday is going to be a good one. In fact he is probably better than anyone WSU has on the roster at QB right now. A huge area of need was on the offensive line and Wulff adressed it nicely by signing two big JC's who will be able to play right away and supplementing it with local boy John fullington from Belfair. One head scratcher on the final day was DE Max Forde defecting at the last minute to Idaho. You aren't supposed to lose people to Idaho.

8. Arizona

In the end the Wildcats were able to convince top recruit DT Kerifi Taula that Arizona was the right place to be. Taula kept flip flopping between UW and Arizona for about a month. A final visit the weekend before signing day sealed the deal. S Marquis Flowers was the other big name in this class. Keeping a local kid home was a boost to this class.

Overall this class isn't impressive to the average recruitnick. Not a lot of star quality here so Arizona fans better hope that Stoops and company did a good job evaluating diamonds in the rough. Losing their offensive and defensive coordinators hurt recruiting this season. Not being able to keep in state talent home is another problem they need to overcome in the future.

CB Jonathan McKnight and DT Sani Fuimaono were the signing day surprises. Washington took a look at both of these kids but filled their needs elsewhere.

9. Oregon State

Mike Riley has proven himself to be one of the very best coaches in the country. In fact a few weeks ago he passed on the opportunity to become the new head coach at USC. Corvallis has its challenges when it comes to recruiting but the Beaver staff are keen evaluators of talent. They pick diamonds out of the rough every year and they have a knack of polishing them into a unit that keeps finishing near the top of the Pac 10 every season.

This was the smallest class in the Pac 10 this season. The Beavs are only bringing in 17 players. They finished second on a lot of top recruits from California at the end of the day. That being said S Shaydon Akuna from Hawaii wil be a name that will be on the lips of most Pac 10 fans in coming years. Akuna is a flat out player and he was a big signing day pick up for the orange and black.

DT Fred Thompson is another solid pick up that most of the Pac 10 had its eyes on. DE Happy Iona who was an early steal from Washington but did not sign a letter of intent and is not expected to qualify. Sean Mannion is the QB in this class and I think he is going to be a real solid player in the future. He may get a shot to compete for playing time right away.

10. Arizona State

Dennis Erickson really needed a good class and he had to rally late to get into the top 30 nationally. As anticipated he went hard and heavy into the JC ranks bringing in six highly rated JC players. The coup was stealing JC OL Brian Schwabe from USC. S Eddie Elder and WR George Bell were the other JC headliners. Erickson is on the hot seat and bringing six JC players at this stage of your tenure is a sign of desperation. It is building for right now to save your butt rather than building for the future.

ASU did land a nifty looking RB in Deantre Lewis which should provide immediate help to a stagnant offense. Taylor Kelly from Eagle River, Idaho is the QB of the future. He is described as a dual threat QB with a very average arm. Erickson needed a big name signal caller this season and he didn't get a sniff.

Scout ranks this class in the top 30 but I am not buying into it. As we know from past experience at UW JC players are very hit and miss. First they have to qualify...OK...that is easier to do at Arizona State. Second they need to mesh immediately with the team and win starting jobs immediately to make an impact. That is easier said than done. Finally they have to behave and stay eligible once they hit campus which has never been a big concern for Erickson.

This will go down as either the class that helped Steve Sarkisian and the Washington Huskies turn the corner toward being among the Pac 10's elite or it will be the class that mires them in a mediocrity that he will never recover from. When you bring in thirty athletes in one class you are cementing your future one way or another in the era of only 85 scholarships.

The early returns suggest that this will be the class that pulls Washington back to the top of the Pac 10. Scout rates it as a top ten class and the other rating services also have it highly ranked. Ratings of course are for fun and are very subjective. It is pretty hard to tell how any class will pan out on signing day. Rick Neuheisel's last top ten class ended up being a semi bust. Keith Gilbertson's only class which was highly rated also fared poorly.

The key of course is how the coaches develop these kids over the next 4-5 years. One look at the roster of a Boise State or Oregon State will tell you how much more important it is to find the right kids to fit your system rather than relying on only star ratings to judge the quality of a class.

Quarterback

Jake Heaps was the top QB in the country according to those in the know. He didn't do much to dispel that during his senior season or in post season games. Husky fans felt let down when he picked BYU over Washington but only a few days later the Huskies scored big in garnering the commitment of Nick Montana (****).

While Heaps is a kid who can probably nail down the starting job as a true frosh at BYU next season Montana is going to need some time before he does it at Washington. He isn't as physically developed as Jake is at this point but all the tools are there. The one thing he really has going is the head on his shoulders. The kid is a leader, a playmaker, and he is still growing.

A year spent studying film, growing, learning, and getting stronger while Jake Locker competes for a Heisman Trophy should set him up nicely for the rest of his career at Washington. The only real knock on him at this point is arm strength but that is coming. He will never throw it as hard as John Elway but most think he has a pretty good chance of imitating his father who by the way won more Super Bowls.

Nick Montana earned first-team All-CIF Southern Section Northwest Division quarterback ... named to the Los Angeles Daily News all-area team ... passed for 2,636 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior ... went 27-1 as the Lions' starting quarterback ... helped team to a 13-1 record and the Tri-Valley League crown as a senior ... led team to the championship game of the 2009 CIF Southern Section Northwest Division ... as a junior, passed for 2,404 yards on 133-of-241 passing, with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions ... won the Northwest Division title with a 63-28 win over Serra in the title game in 2008 ... named the L.A. Daily News' newcomer of the year as a junior ... teamed with fellow UW signee Erik Kohler at Oaks Christian ... played in the Under Armour All-America game following his senior season ... began high school career at De La Salle High ... named to the "Dream Team" and ranked the No. 34 prospect in the country by PrepStar ... named to calhisports.com's all-state (medium schools) first team ... listed as the No. 42 prospect in California by the Contra Costa Times "Cream of the Crop" ... listed in the Tacoma News-Tribune's Western 100 ... ranked the No. 13 quarterback in the nation by Tom Lemming ... rated the No. 300 overall prospect in the nation (all positions) and No. 19 quarterback in the nation by scout.com ... ranked by rivals.com as the No. 22 QB in the nation and the No. 25 recruit in California ... son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Montana ... played under coach Bill Redell at Oaks Christian.

Running Back

According to Scout Washington had a top five RB recruiting class this year. They picked up arguably the best RB in California and perhaps the best FB prospect in the country too.

Deontae Cooper (****) may have been the best back on the West Coast at the end of last season. Pete Carroll commented that he made a mistake by not focusing in him earlier. By the time Pete noticed him he was a firm commit to Washington. Cooper is currently enrolled at Washington and will get plenty of playing time in the absence of Chris Polk who is recovering from shoulder surgery. the only knock on Cooper was it was hard to judge how good he was because of the competition his HS played against. This spring thise questions will be answered pretty quickly when he runs against the Husky defense.

Cooper finished his high school career with 7,450 rushing yards and 107 touchdowns ... 7,450 yards were second in Inland Empire history, behind only Toby Gerhart, the 2009 Heisman Trophy runner-up ... rushed for 2,863 yards and 34 touchdowns on 316 carries as a senior at Citrus Hill ... named the offensive MVP of the Mountain Pass League in 2009 ... earned Inland Empire all-area ... named first-team all-state Division II by maxpreps.com ... helped lead Citrus Hill to a 38-1 record over his final three seasons (he also played as a freshman), including an area-record 38-game win streak that was broken in the Hawks' final game of 2009 ... in a 49-36 win over San Jacinto in 2009, carried the ball 53 times for 388 yards and four touchdowns, winning the league title that night ... rushed for 200 or more yards in eight of 11 games as a senior ... ran for 412 yards and four scores on 59 carries in a win over Great Oak ... rushed for 236 yards and four TDs on only nine carries against rival Perris ... carried 44 times for 342 yards and three scores against Heritage ... finished his career having scored a TD in 31 straight games ... as a junior, rushed for 2,948 yards on 275 carries (10.6-yards per carry), with 42 touchdowns to lead the state in rushing yards ... ran for 1,212 and 18 TDs on 102 rushes (11.8 yards per carry) as a sophomore ... helped team to 14-0 records and section championships as both a junior and sophomore ... as a junior, rushed for over 100 yards in all 14 games and for over 200 yards in eight games ... ran for 372 yards and four TDs in a win over Palm Desert as a junior ... also broke the 300-yard mark with 301 yards and four scores vs. Rim of the World ... scored at least two touchdowns in every game of his junior year, with a high of six TDs against Beaumont ... also played defensive back for the Hawks ... named a PrepStar All-American ... listed on the calhisports.com all-state first team ... rated the No. 28 prospect in the state by the Contra Costa Times "Cream of the Crop" ... listed in the Tacoma News-Tribune's Western 100 ... received votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Best in the West" poll ... ranked as the No. 10 running back in the nation, the No. 29 player (any position) in the state of California and the No. 154 player in the nation by rivals.com ... rated the nation's No. 19 running back and the No. 27 prospect in California by scout.com ... rated the No. 189 overall prospect in the nation (all positions) by scout.com ... father played football at San Jose State.

Jessie Callier (***) started the season strong and climbed up the recruiting ladder finishing as one of the highest yardage backs in California. He has great speed and will arrive this spring as TB but could just as easily be moved to corner if that doesn't work out.

Callier rushed for 3,010 yards and 43 touchdowns as a senior ... 3,010 yards led the state of California and were seventh-most in the nation ... rushed for 6,529 yards in three-year career at Warren ... named a first-team All-CIF Southern Section Western Division running back in 2009 ... won the San Gabriel Valley League title as a senior ... listed as a first-team all-state Division I player by maxpreps.com ... named the Los Angeles Wave Newspaper's All-East Region Player of the Year ... helped Warren to the quarterfinals of the CIF-SS Western Division playoffs as a senior ... team finished 10-2 on the season ... rushed for 447 yards and six touchdowns on 36 carries in a 2009 game vs. Whittier ... in a win over La Serna, rushed for 251 yards and four TDs on only nine carries ... also played linebacker and returned kicks and punts ... rushed for four or more touchdowns eight times during 2009 season ... led Bears to an 8-4 record, a league title and a trip to the sectional quarterfinals as a junior ... rushed for 2,466 yards and 30 touchdowns as a junior ... in 2008, rushed for 330 yards and four TDs vs. Santa Monica and for 340 yards and four scores vs. Lynwood ... led team to first league title in 16 years in 2008 ... ran for 1,053 yards as a sophomore ... named second-team all-state by calhisports.com ... listed as the No. 66 prospect in the state by the Contra Costa Times "Cream of the Crop" ... received votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Best in the West" poll ... ranked the No. 66 running back in the nation and the No. 66 prospect in California by scout.com ... ranked the No. 12 "all-purpose back" in the nation by rivals.com ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... also participated in track & field ... older brother, James, played football at San Jose State ... played for coach Chris Benadom.

Zach Fogerson (***) is the earliest commit in Washington history. The O'Dea FB will be used similar to the way USC has used Stanley Havili. He has good hands and can carry the rock. His most important attribute will be blocking at Washington. Expect him to redshirt this season with two FB's ahead of him.

Fogerson helped lead Fighting Irish to the Metro League title in 2009 ... playing time was limited during senior season due to injury ... first-team All-Metro League at linebacker ... a teammate of fellow UW signee Ben Riva at O'Dea ... O'Dea finished 9-2 his senior season, advancing to the state tournament ... helped the Irish to the 3A state championship game his sophomore year and to the first round of the 2008 state playoffs as a junior ... second-team All-Metro League as a junior linebacker and also a second-teamer as a running back his sophomore year ... named a "red chip recruit" by the Seattle Times ... listed in the Tacoma News-Tribune's Western 100 ... ranked the No. 3 fullback in the nation and No. 8 prospect in the state by scout.com ... listed as the No. 6 fullback in the nation and ranked the No. 10 prospect in Washington by rivals.com ... rated the No. 18 fullback in the country by Tom Lemming ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... younger brother of current Husky tailback Johri Fogerson ... played under coach Monte Kohler at O'Dea.

Wide Receiver

The Huskies missed out on some big names here but picking up Kevin Smith late this fall was a coup. UW is deep at receiver so there wasn't a lot of immediate need but as we saw with James Johnson last season the best will play and even if you led the team in receptions the previous year nothing is assured. Keanon Lowe was a late defection to Oregon and while he is talented the loss didn't hurt this class or the future. Washington has a very good chance of signing three of the top receivers in the country in 2011.

Kevin Smith (****) is the headliner of this part of the class. The talented athlete coud play on either side of the ball but the coaches have him slated to start off at receiver. He is a bit raw since he concentrated on basketball until recently but observers took notice this year and declared him a man among boys on the field. He stood out enough that he became one of the top athletes in California this season. Kevin is a guy that could see the field right away if needed.

Kevin earned first-team All-CIF Southern Section Northwest Division at wide receiver ... the MVP of the Pioneer League ... helped Apaches to the first round of the 2009 CIF-SS Northwest Division playoffs ... team won the Pioneer League title as a senior, a year after finishing 1-9 ... title was Apaches' first outright championship since 1960 ... in Centennial's 2009 regular-season finale vs. Lawndale, returned the opening kickoff and Lawndale's first punt of the game for touchdowns, going 87 and 70 yards, respectively ... didn't play football until junior year of high school ... named to the Tacoma News-Tribune's Western 100 ... listed as the No. 20 prospect in the state by the Contra Costa Times "Cream of the Crop" ... received votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Best in the West" poll ... rated the No. 142 overall prospect in the nation (all positions) and No. 23 wide receiver in the country by scout.com ... also ranked the No. 21 prospect in California by scout.com ... listed by rivals.com as the No. 31 "athlete" prospect in the nation ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... also a standout basketball player ... Pioneer League MVP as a junior basketball player ... played under coach Eric Scott.

Diandre Campbell (**) is another raw kid that flew under the radar this season. When other tall receivers snubbed the Huskies the coaches turned to this hard working kid from Oakland. He needs a year of seasoning be the word we keep hearing is work ethic and coachability.

Campbell is a first-team All-Oakland Athletic League wide receiver and also a second-team All-East Bay defensive back in 2009 ... led Bulldogs to a 9-3 record as a senior ... led the Oakland Athletic League in receiving with 28 receptions for 490 yards and 10 touchdowns (regular-season games only) ... also notched 70 tackles, three interceptions and five sacks on defense ... earned helped team advance to the second round of the CIF Oakland Section playoffs ... played on the East Bay all-star team in the Holiday Classic all-star game in Sacramento ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... named to calhisports.com's preseason All-East Bay team prior to senior season ... a standout on the basketball team ... also participated in track & field ... played for coach Delton Edwards.

Tight End

It was a good year for TE's in state and the Huskies picked up one of three top players at the position this season. Washington also wanted Christian thomas or Xavier Grimble but they never gave UW a serious look.

Michael Hartvigson (***) is an impressive athlete from Bothell who really impressed observers with his play on both sides of the ball. He could line up as a TE or a DE this fall. He moves really well and has good hands so I think his first shot is at TE but DE is where the immediate need is. He may not have the hype of a Kavario Middleton or Chris Izbicki coming in but this kid can play.

Michael was named to the Seattle Times all-state team (all divisions) as a defensive lineman ... named to the Seattle Times all-area team and to the Times' 2009 preseason all-state team ... named the KingCo Crown Division's defensive player of the year ... first-team All-KingCo at both tight end and defensive line ... caught 16 passes for 213 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season and had seven receptions for 85 yards and two TDs in the playoffs ... also played defense end ... named to AP all-state honorable mention as a tight end ... high-school teammate of fellow Husky signee Colin Porter ... Bothell went 12-1 and lost in the 4A state semifinals his senior year ... helped Cougars to the state championship game as a sophomore and to the state quarterfinals his junior year ... first-team All-KingCo 4A on the defensive line and second-team at tight end as a junior ... participated in the Team USA vs. the World game after his senior season ... named a "red chip recruit" by the Seattle Times ... rated the No. 24 tight end prospect in the nation and the No. 21 recruit in Washington by scout.com ... listed as the No. 26 tight end in the country and No. 6 recruit in the state of Washington by rivals.com ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... also a standout basketball player ... a cousin of former UW baseball players Chad and Grant Hartvigson ... played football for coach Tom Bainter.

Offensive Line

It all starts up front and Washington brings in its most impressive and largest OL class of the decade in 2010. The only thing that could have made this part of the class better is if Nick Rowland had decided to become a Husky rather than a Duck. Even though that didn't happen picking up a couple of bookends like Hatchie and Kohler is a real big deal that will provide dividends for the next five years.

Erik Kohler (****) is a kid with the ability to play right away even though most think the coaches want to give him a redshirt season to shed some of the usual baby fat. Erik moves really well for a big guy and can play anywhere on the line. I think it is waste in most cases for linemen to play right away but we will see where the need is acter spring ball. If Skyler Fancher can come back healthy we may not need to play these kids early.

Kohler arned first-team All-CIF Southern Section Northwest Division honors ... named to the Los Angeles Times All-Area team in 2009 ... also made the Los Angeles Daily News all-area first team ... led Lions to the Tri-Valley League championship and to the title game of the 2009 CIF Southern Section Northwest Division ... Lions went 13-1 his senior year and 14-0 his junior season ... won the Northwest Division title with a 63-28 win over Serra in the title game as a junior ... teamed with fellow UW signee Nick Montana at Oaks Christian ... played in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl after senior season ... named to calhisports.com's all-state first team ... prior to 2009 season, ranked No. 4 guard in the nation by Tom Lemming ... ranked the No. 58 prospect in the country by PrepStar, which placed him on the PrepStar "Dream Team" ... listed as the No. 22 prospect in the state by the Contra Costa Times "Cream of the Crop" ... received votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram's "Best in the West" poll ... named to the Tacoma News-Tribune's Western 100 ... rated the No. 139 overall prospect (all positions) and No. 5 offensive guard in the nation by scout.com, which also ranked him the No. 19 recruit in California ... listed as the No. 4 offensive guard in the country and the No. 211 overall prospect in the nation by rivals.com ... played under coach Bill Redell at Oaks Christian.

Colin Porter (****) was on most recruiting lists at the start of the season but when talent scouts saw him play his senior season at Bothell his rankings skyrocketed. One such scout said he was the best offensive lineman he had seen on West coast all year. I think Porter has the potential to play early inside if the coaches go that way. His nickname is "Porterhouse". He really passes the line test and is the biggest of the recruits coming in.

Porter was named a first-team 4A all-state offensive lineman ... also made the Seattle Times all-state team (all levels) ... named the KingCo 4A Crown Division's Offensive co-MVP ... also first-team All-KingCo tackle ... listed on the Seattle Times all-area team ... also made the Times' preseason all-state team in 2009 ... Bothell went 12-1 and lost in the 4A state semifinals his senior year ... teammate of fellow Husky signee Michael Hartvigson ... played at Redmond prior to transferring to Bothell ... earned honorable mention All-KingCo as a junior ... participated in the Team USA vs. the World game after his senior season ... named a third-team EA Sports All-American by ESPNRise ... one of only four players in the state listed as a "blue chip recruit" by the Seattle Times ... listed in the Tacoma News-Tribune's Western 100 ... rated the No. 275 overall prospect (all positions) and the No. 9 guard in the nation by scout.com, which also listed him as the No. 3 prospect in the state of Washington ... ranked the No. 41 guard in the country and the No. 12 prospect in Washington by rivals.com ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... played for coach Tom Bainter at Bothell.

Micah Hatchie (****) was on the wish list of most Husky fans during the recruiting season. Hatchie is a well tuned athlete the coaches can mold into something special over the next five years. Like Kohler and Porter he has the ability to play right way but he would benefit from a RS year.

Hatchie was named to the Hawai'i all-state first team by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and by the Honolulu Advertiser ... earned first-team All-Oahu Interscholastic Association honors as and offensive lineman as a senior at Waialua ... also named to the second-team All-OIA as a defensive lineman in 2009 ... played on the West team in the Hawai'i Goodwill Senior Bowl following senior season ... also an all-league player as a junior ... a four-year starter at Waialua ... honorable mention all-state as a freshman, sophomore and junior ... also played basketball for the Bulldogs ... listed in the Tacoma News-Tribune's Western 100 ... rated the No. 256 overall prospect (all positions), No. 25 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 1 recruit in Hawai'i by scout.com ... named the No. 6 recruit in his state by the Honolulu Advertiser ... ranked the No. 68 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 4 recruit in Hawai'i by rivals.com ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... played for coach Lincoln Barit at Waialua.

Ben Riva (***) was the first OL commit of the class and was regarded as one of the best in state kids last season. He definitely needs a year to tune his game and build strength. Observers like his mobility and feel he has a pretty good upside.

Riva is listed on the 3A all-state first team as an offensive lineman ... also made the Seattle Times all-state team (all levels) ... named to the Seattle Times all-area team ... also listed on the Times' preseason all-state team prior to senior year ... the Metro League Mountain Division offensive lineman of the year ... led Irish to the Metro League championship ... helped O'Dea rush for an average of 7.5 yards per carry ... O'Dea went 9-2 and advanced to the state tournament in his senior season ... a teammate of fellow Husky signee Zach Fogerson at O'Dea ... helped the Irish to the 3A state championship game his sophomore year and to the first round of the 2008 state playoffs as a junior ... second-team All-Metro offensive tackle as a junior ... named a "red chip recruit" by the Seattle Times ... listed in the Tacoma News-Tribune's Western 100 ... rated the No. 46 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 19 recruit in Washington by scout.com ... ranked the No. 48 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 7 recruit in Washington state by rivals.com ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... also participated on the track team as a thrower ... uncle, Steve Sidwell, was a longtime NFL and college assistant coach, including a stretch with the Seahawks ... played football under coach Monte Kohler at O'Dea.

Colin Tanigawa (**) is a true center and Washington was in on this kid early in the process. Not sure why he is only rated a two star player because he had some big time programs to choose from such as Nebraska.

Colin was named first-team All-CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division offensive lineman in 2009 ... All-Serra League as both a senior and as a junior ... played on both lines for the Cubs ... listed as one of the top offensive linemen in Southen California by the Los Angeles Times ... named to ESPNRise's preseason All-CIF Southern Section San Gabriel Valley team ... named third-team all-state by calhisports.com ... rated the nation's No. 28 offensive guard prospect by rivals.com ... listed as the No. 32 offensive guard in America by rivals.com ... ranked the No. 74 offensive guard prospect in the country by scout.com ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... played for coach Adam Guerra.

Michael Criste (**) can play inside or outside. don't be concerend about the two star rating from Scout...other services list him as a three. More importantly the coaches really like this kid and he came pretty close to getting an offer from USC.

Criste arned a spot on the All-CIF Southern Section Pac-5 first team ... also a first-team All-South Coast League offensive tackle ... helped lead the Gauchos to a 12-1 record as a senior and to a 10-2 mark as a junior ... team won the South Coast League title in 2009 and advanced to the semifinals of the sectional championship ... honorable mention all-league selection as a junior ... named his area's No. 14 prospect by ocvarsity.com ... named second-team all-state by calhisports.com ... listed on calhisports.com's preseason All-Orange County team in 2009 ... rated the No. 54 offensive tackle in the nation and No. 81 overall prospect in California by rivals.com ... a PrepStar all-region selection ... also participated in track & field at Mission Viejo ... played for coach Bob Johnson.

James Atoe (**) is a huge guy measuring out at 6'7 325 pounds. What the coaches like about this sleeper they stole from Idaho is his footwork. Cozzetto saw him play in a basketball game and decided that he had the tools required to develop into a dominating lineman down the road. They want to bring in James this fall but if there isn't room he will wait till winter of 2011 to join the program.

Atoe was named to the All-Intermountain Conference first-team on offense and to the second team on defense ... helped lead the Indians-Eagles to an 8-3 record as a senior ... team reached the second round of the state 5A playoffs ... played on the offensive and defensive lines ... honorable mention all-state on both sides of the ball ... played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl following senior season ... rated the No. 10 prospect in the state of Oregon by rivals.com ... earned second-team all-league in basketball as a junior ... also threw the shotput, discus and javelin ... brother, Ryan, played football at Idaho and in NFL Europe ... played for coach Andy Codding.

(Follow the jump to read the reviews of the defensive players)

Continue reading this post »

Four star LB Josh Shirley shocked USC UW, and Miami today by picking UCLA today live on Prime Ticket.

We will be updating this all day as the faxes arrive at the University of Washington.

The day got off to a good start for Steve Sarkisian and the Washington Huskies when four star safety Sean parker from Narbonne HS in Harbor City, California chose the UW over Michigan and USC.

Parker is a huge get for Sarkisian and his staff. It marks a big win over new USC head coach Lane Kiffin who wanted to use Parker to help rebuild his depleted secondary. Parker also considered Michigan and as of last night it was down to the Huskies and the Wolverines.

In the end Parker felt that Washington was the best athletic and academic fit for him. Academics are important for Parker. He sports a 3.8 GPA. In the end the stability of a young coaching staff at Washington, the ability to compete for a starting job right away, and the right mix of academic programs are what convinced Parker to become a Husky.